Skull Knight
The Skull Knight is an enigmatic figure who fights against evil. He appears to have vast knowledge of events surrounding the Berserk universe and seems to be able to predict fate's next move. He saved Guts several times over the course of the journey and also seemed to manipulate events around Guts for his own purpose of revenge. History Princess Charlotte told of a story about a certain Emperor Gaiseric who ruled over his kingdom generously, albeit it was a short lived kingdom that perished to the very bottom of the Midlands at the hands of a god. Gaiseric was said to have worn armour which bore a striking resemblance to that worn by the Skull Knight himself, with the inclusion of a skull-like helmet and heavy armour, which leads Guts to think they may be one and the same. He also has small crystal like spikes protruding from the top of his helmet, bearing a close resemblance to that of a crown. It is also hinted that he was involved in a sacrifice that claimed the lives of the citizens of his kingdom. Slan also refers to him as "your majesty". He has known, and apparently had a close relationship with, the witch Flora for at least several hundred years and was also one of the previous owners of Berserker Armor. Flora and the Skull Knight both acknowledge Void's existence, but the exact history of their relationship remains ambiguous. Plot Outline Skull Knight portrait.jpg Skullknight.jpg|Skull Knight during the eclipse ceremony. Skull Knight avatar.jpg Skull Knight fighting.jpg|Skull Knight fighting w/o his horse. Griffith's Imprisonment The Skull Knight first appears to warn Guts about the Band of the Hawk's impending demise following his leave. He called Guts a "struggler" against fate before disappearing elsewhere. Shortly before the Eclipse, the Skull Knight appears again to protect Rickert from the Count and Rosine, who both leave upon seeing his presence. Eclipse The Skull Knight first battles with Zodd, who guards the outside of the gate in order to fight against his adversary again. After defeating Zodd, he rushes into the ceremony, smashing through the portal and interrupting the ceremony in the process. He immediately attempts to attack Void, with little success, as Void projects an alternate dimension to send the Knight's incoming sword back out in a mirror effect. The Skull Knight then blocks the attack with his shield and exchanges glances with Void for a moment before going to save Guts and Casca from further harm. The Skull Knight then makes short work of many Apostles in mere seconds and dodges Femto's Apostle implosion attack with ease before heading straight out of the window he came in. As Rickert heals Guts and Casca with the elf dust that Puck gave him, Zodd allows the Skull Knight to take Guts and Casca, as a mark of respect for being defeated in battle. The Skull Knight then transports the three humans to Godo's cottage, and four days later, shows Guts the demonic world he will be living in, allowing him to borrow his sword to defeat the ghosts attacking him. He finally explains Casca's early childbirth and the characteristics of the Demon Child before leaving. Retribution Arc The Skull Knight only appears in Misty Valley to swallow Rosine's Behelit. Tower of Conviction He later appears later near St. Albion to warn Guts of the Incarnation Ceremony and tell him of the God Hand's and abilities, stating that he can either choose to kill Griffith or save Casca, but cannot do both. At St. Albion, he chases down the Apostle-Behelit and rescues Luca from its lair. Millennium Falcon Arc The Skull Knight enters the Qliphoth to confront Slan and to assist Guts. Similarly to the Eclipse, he easily takes down the ogres attacking him, distracting Slan long enough for Guts to attack her with his arm cannon and later with the Dragon Slayer. When the Qliphoth collapses, the Skull Knight uses his Sword of Resonance to escape with Guts in tow. The Skull Knight confronts Flora about the serious consequences of giving Guts the Berserker Armor, hearing Flora's assent that it must be so. As Griffith's Apostle army comes to burn down Flora's home, the Skull Knight engages Zodd again before witnessing Guts' first use of the Berserker Armor against a transformed Grunbeld. The Skull Knight appears in front of Guts' party at the beach, warning him that what he wants may not be what Casca wants. World Transformation World Tranformation.jpg|Skull Knight about to strike Femto startling Zodd. Hints that Rakshas may actually be the Skull Knight in disguise start to appear as the Bakiraka exile hides itself successfully under Zodd's wings. (Note: previous edition of this article stated "Not long after, the Skull Knight appears with his Sword of Resonance and slashes at Femto atop the transformed Ganishka", but this can be easily explained by the Skull Knight using his Sword of Resonance to travel through space as he had already done in Qliphoth and thus appearing next to Femto). Femto manipulates the slash to hit Ganishka instead, triggering a light that covers the world and causes the astral realm to collide with the physical realm, allowing many astral beasts to enter the physical realm and Griffith's castle to appear underneath the deceased Ganishka's body. Powers and Abilities The most particular attribute of the Skull Knight is his fighting ability: he is able to kill Apostles with ease and can fight evenly with Zodd in the latter's Apostle form. He states that the area outside the chosen place for the Eclipse is "just as good as any to wield my (the Skull Knight's) sword", indicating his adaptation to different environments. It can be believed that the Skull Knight has met the prerequisite of interacting with over 1000 different beings of the Astral World, given that Void found it necessary to defend himself with a dimensional hole to send the Knight's sword back at him, though actual evidence of such a claim has yet to be revealed. *Sword of Thorns: the Skull Knight's basic sword, which is kept in a sheathe attached to his shield. The blade of the sword extends out of a rose decoration at the center of the curving thorns. There are also thorns on the handle, injuring anybody who attempts to use it without an armored hand. It is also implied that the sword may be sentient, as the sword told its wielder that it wasn't yet time to kill the Apostle-Behelit. *Sword of Resonance: the Skull Knight swallows the Behelits he recovers from slain Apostles, apparently destroying and reforming them as the Sword of Resonance. The Sword has been shown to cut through space and time. *Skull Armour: in addition to serving as the Skull Knight's protection, it also serves as a makeshift supply of throwing knives, as seen when the Skull Knight breaks off a protrusion from the armor and throws it to release Slan's grip on one of Guts' arms in the Qliphoth. *Inner Beast: The Skull Knight was a former user of the Berserker Armor; the Armor he used retains the shape of a skull. This implies that just as Guts has a hellhound for an inner beast, the Skull Knight holds an inner beast that takes the form of a human skeleton. *Horse: the Skull Knight's horse appears to be able to fly and jump upon trees, implying that just as the Skull Knight is not a normal human, the horse is not a normal horse. Category:Characters